ruggine
/ˈrud.d͡ʒi.ne/feminine
The English word 'rust' is ruggine in Italian.
ruggine is a noun referring to the result of oxidation. While the verb ossidare means to oxidize, if you want to specifically describe the process of becoming covered in rust, you should use the verb arrugginire.
Meaning: result of oxidation (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun ruggine is feminine, so it is used with feminine articles and adjectives.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ˈrud.dʒi.ne/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- The Italian word ruggine comes from the Latin aerūginem, which specifically referred to the green rust that forms on copper rather than the red rust on iron.
- In Italian, the phrase togliere la ruggine (to remove the rust) is used idiomatically to describe shaking off a lack of practice in a skill or sport.
- The word ruggine is used to name a specific type of fungal plant disease, known as 'rust', which affects cereal crops and legumes in Italy.
Examples in context
- Troppo riposo è ruggine.Too much rest is rust.Tatoeba #12899527 by Guybrush88, translation #19838 by shekitten
- Quest'auto è resistente alla ruggine.This car is resistant to rust.Tatoeba #1463993 by Guybrush88, translation #58720 by timmartin
- A questo punto il mio rottame ha più ruggine che vernice.My clunker has more rust than paint at this point.Tatoeba #13647624 by Nuel, translation #13647623 by Nuel
- Ho notato della ruggine sul portone di casaI noticed some rust on the front gate
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo is showing Chiara an old, damaged metal tool in the garage.
- ChiaraGuarda questo vecchio martello, Lorenzo.Look at this old hammer, Lorenzo.
- LorenzoAccidenti, ha molta ruggine sopra.Damn, it has a lot of rust on it.
- ChiaraSi sta proprio disintegrando.It is really falling apart.
- LorenzoSì, è rovinato dalla ruggine.Yes, it is ruined by the rust.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rust” translations and entries ruggine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ruggine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
